Option code or part number for PTC Heater element

[wokwon]

Thanks RWBaldwin

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[wokwon]

I was up in Bowral on the weekend (a short 7 hour drive from home in Melbourne's northern suburbs) and it was a pleasant 1 degC in the morning. With temp setpoint on 23, AUTO, the PTC came on immediatley on car start and I got not-cold air (on recirc) almost straight away. I say not-cold as it wasn't exactly warm but I expect that all the ductwork in the car was absorbing any heat before it got out the vents.

So the heater is working well and will be a must-retrofit when I get my Superb. There's nothing better than tearing the interior apart on a new car to add features.

A note on manual activation. If the heater doesn't turn on by itself (somehow related to outside temperature, in my experience if it's over 9 degC outdoors then it won't come on) you can turn the temp up to HI, the heater comes on, and then turn it back to whatever your normal temperature setting is (for me it's 23). The PTC heater will then remain on until the water hits 75 degC.

Kiwibacon, make sure that when you order your ebay element you get the one with the controller attached. Most of the ebay items are for the element only without a controller. I wish I took photos side by side. You need the one with two 6mm bolts and a 4 pole socket.

The item without the controller has a single 6mm bolt (the -ve connection) and three metal tabs about 5mm x 1mm which are the electrical connections to the ceramic element itself. That one is useless to you.

[Kiwibacon]

Good to know.

I'm still waiting to hear about a manual gearbox, by the time they get that sorted the Octavia 3 will probably be here. Then I will push them a little harder about a PTC or Webasto.

Edited 27 June, 2012 by Kiwibacon

[wokwon]

Please see belated instructions on installing PTC heater into a Superb II.

Some parts of it are a big vague as I didn't take that many photos but anyone used to modding cars and VAG cars in particular shouldn't have any problems.

PDF 1.2MB

[Kiwibacon]

Thanks again.

My superb dreams died when they couldn't provide a manual gearbox. I have a scout now and my forays into fixing a stuck vent motor recently show the access and heater box to be damn near identical. The aux heater was on my original wish-list and I'd like to follow your plan at some stage.

How did you go about sourcing the element this time?

Edited 20 May, 2013 by Kiwibacon

[wokwon]

Ebay again, just search for the part numbers. Both times I've had second hand parts from a wrecker but they've worked fine.

[Smudgers]

PTC looks to be the way forward.

 

Anyone know if dealers retrofit ? I'm not one for pulling cars to bits.

[Polo6n1600i]

Just remember this - even vw fitted ones of these catch fire!! Make sure you use 100a fuses & put a 2nd remote earth if you can!! Mine melted a little bit of plastic on the unit. I've had to replace the loom to get it to work.

[wokwon]

 

Anyone know if dealers retrofit ? I'm not one for pulling cars to bits.

 

I doubt it, but even if they did it would be $$$.

 

I was quoted $900 AU for the part from the dealer, sourced on ebay for around 15% of that.  Then the install itself is very time consuming and running thick wires through the car's firewall.  Most dealers now are only interesting in swapping out plug in modules until their problem is solved.

[Oakeydoke]

  

 

Edited 25 August, 2016 by Oakeydoke

[Oakeydoke]

sorry didn't mean to reply to this and dont know how to delete last post 

[superbdreams]

Further to this thread, it seems that the climatronic front panel diagnostics (i.e. hold down ECON and Up Vent) has some channels of interest:

20.0 Additional heat demand true/false

20.1 Additional heat demand confirmed by PTCheater (I assume this means heater on) true/false

20.2 Additional heat current (A)

20.3 Exterior Air intake % (guessing that this is the recirc flap percentage)

20.4 Exterior Air % cooler - this might be the mythical 90% figure that the system needs to read. My guess is that it could be how much cooler the external air is compared to either the cabin temperature or the interior temperature setpoint.

I'll check this out tonight, might be able to display the channel 20.2 on the clima diagnostics without having to plug in VCDS. This could be useful if there is ever any doubt if the heater is on.

 hold down ECON and Up Vent.... on mine performs a flaps reset but does not give any display on Columbus, how does one get the displayed values?

[wokwon]

Re-uploading PDF as a few people have pointed out that it's going missing (attached).

PTC Install 3T Superb.pdf

[wokwon]

On 10/09/2016 at 19:42, superbdreams said:

 hold down ECON and Up Vent.... on mine performs a flaps reset but does not give any display on Columbus, how does one get the displayed values?

 

This actually refers to the A5 platform e.g. VW Jetta, Golf 5 and 6.  The values are displayed on the clima panel that used to have two LCD's to display the temperature setpoint.

 

I never got the columbus one to show anything useful.

[snowathlete]

Thanks for adding the file @wokwon very pleased you did because it's very comprehensive, it's super helpful for me and I'm sure others too.

It looks like a lot of hassle, but I'll probably still do it. Had the whole dash out on a car previously for something similar, and my feelings went something like: This'll be worth it > What am I doing? I hope I can put it all back together right, this is not worth it > Phew, did it. That was worth it.

 

Was your 2013 model the pre-facelift? If so I'll have to check part numbers to be certain there was no change. Doubt there was but better check as mine's a facelift, but I'm sure I'll be able to get hold of the PTC either way. Hopefully the right cover as well.

I 'm only going to do it if I can get a PTC with the connector still attached and if my wiring harness has the slot for it. Sounds like this is what you did on your Superb so very likely the facelift also has a generic harness that'll support the PTC.

Edited 22 January, 2018 by snowathlete

[Hoverurb]

As a point of useless information these heaters are made in southwest Ireland, i have a few working rejects to suit different cars in my shed

[snowathlete]

19 minutes ago, Hoverurb said:

As a point of useless information these heaters are made in southwest Ireland, i have a few working rejects to suit different cars in my shed

 

Do they heat up your shed well?

[wokwon]

7 hours ago, snowathlete said:

Was your 2013 model the pre-facelift?

 

Yes, mine was pre facelift.  I doubt the FL has changed as VW has used the same HVAC box across all their brands since about 2005.  It's probably changed for the MQB platform.

[Hoverurb]

1 hour ago, snowathlete said:

 

Do they heat up your shed well?

We've tried a few in the shed, VW seem to be pretty simple, Ford ones have built in electronics . Going to fit one to another project when I get time.

[mbgar]

@wokwon

Might I ask what is the benefit of retrofitting the electric auxiliary heater?

What is the difference between before and after - does the cars "simply" get warm air much more quickly?

 

Does the CAN PTC heater have some settings to adjust, e.g. limit the current or is this purely done by the passive PTC element?

What is the benefit of using the CAN PTC heater over the non-CAN PTC heater as there appears to be a considerable price difference?

 

Is the modification worth it or what would be a situation (or position of living) making the modification worth it?

Edited 16 March by mbgar

[wokwon]

Quote

 

Might I ask what is the benefit of retrofitting the electric auxiliary heater?

What is the difference between before and after - does the cars "simply" get warm air much more quickly?

 

 Diesel engine doesn't generate hot water very quickly, this one provides more immediate warmth.  Particularly useful here in AU where we could not option the heated windscreen.  I also had a time when my DSG thermostat stuck open and the PTC was able to supplement the heat output.  This was during a winter holiday in Tasmania, the coldest part of our country.

 

Quote

Does the CAN PTC heater have some settings to adjust, e.g. limit the current or is this purely done by the passive PTC element?

No settings to adjust, but the device itself controls the output using presumably PWM as there are a bunch of large MOSFETs in the controller.  The vehicle also regulates the output with regard to other electrical consumers, e.g. if electrical output is in demand the PTC element is down-regulated in favor of other consumers.  It is disabled when the water temperature reaches 75degC.  It also self-regulates, as is natural with PTC elements however the 'regulating' temperature of these elements is not published as far as I know.

 

Quote

What is the benefit of using the CAN PTC heater over the non-CAN PTC heater as there appears to be a considerable price difference?

Easier wiring.  The non-CAN one needs 2 relays installed and connections from the HVAC controller to the relay carrier, along with heavy wiring back from the relay carrier to the element (there are three wires, ground, low and high power).

 

The CAN one only needs one wire run from the engine bay, a heavy power supply.  The GND is already inside.  The CAN is available at the HVAC controller.  It's much easier to install.

 

I suppose if one wanted a more DIY install, the non-CAN item would be easier as you just need to get switched 80A power to it somehow (I'd guess solid state relay would be simplest).

 

Quote

 

Is the modification worth it or what would be a situation (or position of living) making the modification worth it?

That's entirely up to you.  If you're happy with your heater, then you don't need it.  If you curse at the amount of time it takes to defrost your windscreen then it might be worth it to you.

[Winston_Woof]

3 hours ago, wokwon said:

 Particularly useful here in AU where we could not option the heated windscreen.  I also had a time when my DSG thermostat stuck open and the PTC was able to supplement the heat output.  This was during a winter holiday in Tasmania, the coldest part of our country.

 

 

Surely the Snowy Mountains are the coldest part of Oz ?